Seal or guard



Patented Feb. '12, 1935 :PATENT ori-ICE SEAL E GUARD.

meme J. Britain, Jr., Broomfield, N. J., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware I Application January V26, 1931, Serial No. 511,173 v a claims. (c1. zas-s) This invention relates to seals or guards and comprises all the features of novelty hereiindisclosed. An object of the invention is to provide an improved seal or guard for closing the space between a shaft and a casing, as to avoid leakage of lubricant from the casing and/or.y access of foreign mattei' to the casing. Another object is to provide a seal or guard especially adapted for railway journal boxes wherein a shaft or axle projects into the journal box and rotates therein while subject to intermittent longitudinal shifting. n

To these endsyand to improve generally upon devices of this character, the invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed. In its broader aspects, the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific constructions selected for illustrativepurposes in the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a'portion of a journal box. Y

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a locking means.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of a ring and Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 'l are vertical sectional views of modied forms of the invention.

The reduced end of a shaft or axle 10l carries a raceway sleeve 12 for roller bearing 14 having cage rings 16. The rollers run in an outer sleeve 18 in the bore of an axle box 20 which is provided at one end with an opening 22 larger than theraxle. Before the bearing parts are inserted,

' a ring or bushing 24' is passed through the box from its outer -end until a flange 26 on the busliing engages the shoulder at the-end of the bore. The bushing preferably has a press fit in the opening 22 and has a ypart projecting axially through and beyond 'the inner end of the box, this projecting part having a recess 28.

has a flange 32 at the end thereof. The ring has side extensions or enlargements 34 'and when the partsare assembled as indicated in Fig, 2, they are bored 'and .reamed to receive a taper pin 36; f Previous to locking the parts with the taper pin, 'a set of rings 38, 40 and"42\'\are inserted in the recess 28. The'ring 38 is preferably of steel and has a sliding fit in the recess, the rings 40 are preferably split spring rings of bronze, and the ring 42 is preferably a steel ring having a sliding iitin the recess. Pressed on the axle is a steel sleeve 44 which has la slight clearance with the ring 38 and the flange 32. The split rings 40 tend .to contract to grip the sleeve 44, to clear the sur- A ring 30 surrounds the projecting part and rounding walls of the recess 28, and to bring theirl ends 46 close together.

The inner end of the bushing has a at face to engage the sleeve 18 and to guide the adjacent cage ring 16. This facehas a relief groove 48 about opposite to the bore of the sleeve' 18 so that lubricant, propelled by the spiral rollers, can escape and drain through a notch 50 into a lubricant passage 52 at the bottom of the box. Lubricant entering an internal groove 54 in the bushing will also drain down through the notch 50. The groove 54 also provides clearance for the sleeve 44 when the axle shifts endwise. The nested rings form an eilicient seal and labyrinth to prevent escape of lubricant from the box and admission of foreign matter'thereto.

In Fig. 4, the opening 22 at the end of the box 20 is closer to the axle and receives a plain ring or sleeve with a press iit. A sleeve 62 having a p1ura1ity ofperipheral grooves 64 between annular projectins' is fitted on the axle with a press t. A split ring 66 is carried ineach groove and tends to expand against the smooth bore of the sleeve 60. The rollers are guided by a ange 68 on the box, the flange having a notch 70 providing for access to the end of the bearing sleeve 18. .Y

In Fig. 5, a sleeve '72 is carried by the axle and engages a U-shaped spring ring 'I4 which tends to contract; The ring is retained against axial 30 movement by a washer 76 and a flange 78 on a holding ring 80, the ring 80 and the washer being secured to the box by screws 82. Inside 'the ring -80 and occupying the groove of the split Vring 74 is a plain split ring 84 which tends to expand.

In Fig. 6, a sleeve 86 on the axle is engaged by a plurality of plain split rings -88 which are preferably of brass and tend to contract. The rings 88 alternate with rings 90 which are either split or solid to engage the holding ring 80. 40

In Fig. '7, a bushing 92 on the box closely surrounds the axle and a washer"94 is interposed, the washer being preferably of rawhide and having a flangev 96 which is secured against the end of the bushing by a plate 98 with fastening screws 100 whose heads may be secured by prick-punching them to the plate. The inner end of the bushing is spaced from the vsurrounding wall of the box and provided with an external reriief groove 102.-

I claim: j

1. In a device of the character described,v a. casing, a shaft extending into the casing, a bushing projecting from the casing and having an internal recess, a ring surrounding the proiect- 55 ing end of the bushing having a ange closing one end of the recess, a sleeve carried by the shaft and surrounded by the bushing and the ange, and a series of rings in the recess, some of said rings being split and the alternate rings being unbroken; substantially as described.

.' 2. In a device of the character described, a

v casing, a shaft extending into the casing, a bushing projectingffrom the casing and having an in rnal recess, a ring surrounding the projjctend of the bushing and having enlargem nts locking pins traversing the enlargements and engaging the projecting' portion of 'the bushing, the

ring having a iiange extending across the pro- :jecting end oi' the bushingtd close the end oi' the recess, and a series of sealing rings in the recess andl arranged to forma labyrinth; substantially asdescribed.

3. In a device of the character described, a casing havingan opening, rabatt extending through the opening into. the casing, a bushing tting the opening and surrounding the shaft,

bearings between the shaft and the casing, the

bushing having a portion projecting axially from `the casing to form a. recess, a ring surrounding RICHARD J. Jn. 15 

